Love and Responsibility. Both equally important in our lives. Kenshin and Kaoru try to find a balance between the two. Can they nurture their love and share their responsibilities or just exist somewhere in the middle?

Disclaimer: The characters of Rurouni Kenshin belong to someone other than
me. This story was not written for sale or profit but pure enjoyment. So
please read and enjoy.

Chapter 4: Bonds that Hold

~~~Kenshin picked up the girls from school. All the way back to the clinic
he half-heartedly listened to their chatter telling him all about their
first day at school. His thoughts kept returning to the promise he so
readily gave to Dr. Gensai.

~~~Kaoru pulled into the company parking lot easing the truck into its
designated space. She took off her sunglasses hooking them onto the sun
visor above her. Gathering her invoices off the dash of the truck she
added them to the ones on the seat before stuffing them into her folder.
Picking up the folder she grabbed her duffle bag and headed for the
warehouse.

Walking to the warehouse Kaoru couldn't help feeling lonely but once inside
the building her thoughts centered on Cho. He was starring intently at his
computer screen and didn't notice when she walked behind him dropping her
duffle bag on the floor and the folder on his desk.

She wrapped her arms around his neck going for a chokehold. But before
she could complete her hold on him, he spun his wheelchair back and
sideways. She giggled falling into his lap still holding onto his neck.

She reached up running her fingers through his short hair only to pull them
back. Looking at her hand she asked, "Yeeeck. What is wrong with your
hair? Its kind of flaky."

"Well it's been really hot in here today," he said handing her a tissue to
wipe her hand.

"Not that hot. Did you get your bath this morning?" she asked. Before he
could reply she continued, "He didn't show up to help you did he? I'm
going to call him and..."

She started to reach for the phone but he held her shoulders looking into
her face and said, "You have to stop worrying about me so much. I'll take
a bath tonight. Ok?"

"Ok but it's hard…" she started to say before he pulled her toward him
giving her a brief hug then pushed her to stand.

"Promise that you won't do it alone," she said leaning towards him so that
he had to look into her eyes.

"I promise. Now get going, I have work to do," he said picking up a rubber
band from his desk shooting it at her as she grabbed her duffle bag and
hurried into her office.

Once inside her office she turned and looked at Cho thinking that it had
been three years this weekend since the accident that had killed her father
and left Cho permanently in a wheel chair. She couldn't help feeling proud
that he had managed to pull his life back from the brink of destruction.

She knew how hard it had been on him because she had been right there with
him through the whole ordeal. She marveled at his uncanny ability with
electronic devices and how he had changed everything from his hair style to
his shoes. He had always worn his hair straight up with a red band, a red
overcoat with a jagged edge on one sleeve and black combat boots. Now he
sported a short crew cut, polo shirt, jogging pants, and tennis shoes. She
smiled thinking about the ridicules outfit he had worn before.

Snapping out of her musing she smiled then retreated into her office before
he had a chance to notice the disarray of her invoices.

"Kaoru how many times do I have to tell you to straighten these invoices?
It's going to take me all night just to put these in order. Are you still
just flipping them on the dash of the truck?" he yelled pretending to be
angry.

"It will give you something to do tonight. And no, I lay them on the seat
too," she flipped her answer back at him smiling.

She reached over closing her door muffling his reply, then set the duffle
bag on the floor. Digging through the duffle bag she pulled out a light
blue knit pullover shirt that complimented her blue jeans. Taking the
company shirt off she threw it across the room onto a chair that already
had several shirts adorning it. Pulling on her shirt, the tie fell out of
her hair, letting it cascade around her shoulders. Pulling a light blue
ribbon out of her duffle bag, she ran her fingers through her hair before
putting it under her hair then tying it at the top of her head.

Glancing at her watch, she had a couple hours before she had to be anywhere
so she sat at her desk and reached for her mouse. She opened her online
screen then opened her email.

When the screen opened she looked at a whole screen of junk emails some
even pertaining to the company business. Scrolling down, she looked for an
email from Misao, not finding one; she decided to write her an email later
when she had the time to sit and think about what she would tell her.

"Is that all you do just sit in front of that silly computer?" she asked
Cho coming out of her office with her duffle bag slung over her shoulder.

Cho reached down pulled one wheel back turning him self so that he could
get a better look at her. "Where ya going looking so pretty Lil'Lady?" Cho
inquired squinting his eye as he used a southern drawl just for her.

"I have a couple of things to take care of on the way home. I don't really
want to go out tonight but I promised Sano that I would go," she hesitated,
"I can wait for you if you need a ride home," she said straightening the
invoices that she had put on his desk earlier.

"No you go do your errands. Sano's going to pick me up, that's why he took
the van with the lift," he smiled at her motioning with his hand for her to
go.

She was going to protest when the radio buzzed and he turned back to the
desk.

Cho are you still at base? Sano's voice came through the radio.

He grabbed the desk pulling his wheel chair back into place before he
picked up the receiver and said, "Where else would I be, you're my ride
home, moron. What's taking you so long?"

Just did my last delivery and I'm on my way back to the warehouse. Did
Kaoru make it back yet? Sano asked.

Cho offered her the receiver. She grinned before taking it pressing the
button and said, "I beat you like always."

I was hoping to make it back before you, Sano replied.

"As if. You know I'm faster and better than you," she snickered at him.

I'll beat you one of these days, Missy. You just wait and see, Sano
laughed.

"Well I'll see you at home," She said then set the receiver back on the
desk. "See that you guys get home soon," she told Cho. Reaching out she
patted his shoulder then adjusted her duffle bag while heading for the
door.

~~~Cho finished straightening Kaoru's invoices then put them in his
briefcase along with some other things he would need for the weekend. He
wanted to spend a quiet weekend getting caught up on the paperwork for the
business. But for now he only had one thing on his mind, Kaoru. She had
been there when he needed her and he wanted to repay her for her kindness
and generosity.

Are you ready? I'm pulling into the parking lot, Sano's voice came over
the radio prompting him to finish gathering his things.

"I'm ready, what took you so long, moron? Did you get lost again?" Cho
asked while straightening his desk for the night laughing at Sano's lack of
directional sense.

Before he could wheel himself from behind the desk, Sano entered the
warehouse. He took the plastic straw out of his mouth and flipped it in
the air, a ritual he performed every day when he arrived at the warehouse.
Both men watched as the plastic straw went sailing through the air landing
directly in the middle of his desk.

"Yeeessss," Sano said raising both arms into the air for victory. He
forgot about the invoices until they fell around him landing at his feet.

Pushing the invoices into a haphazard pile he picked them up before walking
over to Cho's desk. "Were do you want these," he asked holding them out to
Cho, a cocky grin still on his face.

Cho glared at him then opened his briefcase waiting while Sano stuffed them
in. He tossed the briefcase towards a cardboard box. The briefcase sailed
over the box landing on the floor spilling the contents of the box.

"It's a wonder that this company is still in business the way you two treat
the paperwork," Cho grumbled watching the papers from the box spread all
over the floor.

They both looked at each other before bursting into laughter.

Sano recovered first walking over to pick up the papers and put them back
inside the box. "Oh you're just mad because you can't hit nothing," Sano
said still laughing.

"Well at least I can find my way home," Cho said laughing even harder.

"Well let's get you home so I can get cleaned up. I want to make it to the
club before Megumi gets there. Sure you don't want to come out with us?"
Sano asked propping the door open then returning for the box and briefcase.

"No thanks I have other things to do," Cho said wheeling himself out the
door. His chair started down the ramp not waiting for Sano. Picking up
speed as he rolled down the ramp, he unsuccessfully tried to make the
corner at the bottom causing his chair to tip over.

"Be careful going down that ramp," Sano said with his attention focused on
locking the door. He didn't see Cho's chair tip over but he did hear the
pained groan that escaped from Cho.

Dropping the box of paperwork that he had just picked up he ran down the
ramp.

"Cho?" Sano asked as he gently righted the chair with Cho still strapped
in. Holding his shoulders he panicked when he saw the blood on his face.
Not wanting to leave him he had to get something to compress the wound. He
ran to the van grabbed for a box of tissue and brought it back to Cho.
Pulling a hand full of tissue out of the box he pressed it to Cho's
forehead.